Reformation

November 10, 2017, marked the 534th birthday of the German monk whose reforms set the whole world on fire. This celebration, though, was overshadowed by that of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. The posting of the Ninety-five Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, is commonly understood as the advent of the earth-shaking writings of Martin Luther.

According to History.com, “No reformer was more adept than Martin Luther at using the power of the press to spread his ideas. Between 1518 and 1525, Luther published more works than the next 17 most prolific reformers combined.” Included in these published works are those writings that have become known as Luther’s Works. Captivated by the rediscovered Gospel of Christ, Luther began to write on topics ranging from biblical commentary to church practices. Although Luther wrote a great quantity of works, the quality of his writings never seemed to wane.

This growing, multi-volume set of works continues to be an invaluable resource to clergy and lay persons alike. It gives readers a look into the mind of Martin Luther and his opinion on various topics of theology. Luther’s Works sustain the reformative ideas that shape the beliefs and identity of the Lutheran Church in this contemporary day.

Interested in learning more about Luther’s Works? Order your first volume today at cph.org/luthersworks.

Luther’s Reformation is often seen through the lens of his formal theological writings, such as the Ninety-Five Theses, Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Freedom of a Christian, and Bondage of the Will. These important and significant works belong to any study of the Reformation. Often overlooked, however, are Luther’s many lectures, sermons, and commentaries on the Bible. In Luther’s day, the ordinary pastors and laypeople of Germany came to know and embrace the Reformation because of Luther’s lectures at the University of Wittenberg and his sermons at the city church. Although many excellent anthologies of Luther’s theological writings exist, until now there has not been a comparable volume of Luther’s commentaries on the Bible. Martin Luther’s Basic Exegetical Writings fills this gap by providing significant excerpts from the reformer’s career as an interpreter of Scripture.

This volume presents twelve excerpts spanning Luther’s career. Each excerpt begins with an introduction that places the work, or the chief concern of the work, in its historical context. These introductions also provide an overarching historical narrative of Luther’s academic, pastoral, and personal life from 1515 to 1546. The chronological arrangement of the excerpts allows the reader to appreciate Luther’s development as a theologian and to observe the remarkable consistency of his theological concerns. (From the Introduction)

Martin Luther’s Basic Exegetical Writings will be available September 6, 2017.

October 31 means different things to different people—Protestant Christians celebrate Reformation and prepare for All Saints’ Day, while secular society celebrates Halloween. But Christians also get caught up in the secular celebrations of Halloween, usually “all in good fun,” yet sometimes that “fun” can be to our detriment. We must remember that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV) and is “the father of lies” (John 8:44 ESV). Therefore, we are called to look to Christ to resist the schemes of the devil, which often manifest themselves on days like today.

In his fascinating and insightful book Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare in America, Rev. Dr. Robert Bennett equips Christians not only to recognize the devil’s influence in our society but also to respond boldly in faith. The following excerpt is a good reminder for us that even when we feel weak and afraid; when we are bombarded by images of ghosts, devils, and witches; and when we are tempted to fall prey to pagan Halloween traditions, Jesus is there and will never leave our side.

Katie’s Christian Faith

When Katie taught her oldest son, little Hans, to fold his little hands in prayer, and answered his first childlike questions about God and the dear Lord Jesus, she already had her husband’s Small Catechism, the Kattegissema, as she called the book, because Greek words sounded too strange to her and therefore didn’t like to pass over her otherwise eloquent lips. But she knew Latin and interpreted the Greek ending ismus in the word Katechismus as a Latin superlative form, issimus. She understood the content of the book better than the title. In one of his last letters, from Eisleben on February 7, 1546, her husband still writes: “Dear Katie, read [the Gospel of] John and the Small Catechism, of which you once said: ‘Everything in the book is about me.’ ”

In honor of National Lutheran Schools’ week, we’ve posted below an excerpt from Thomas Korcok’s Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future. In his endorsement of this book, Gene Edward Veith, Provost and Professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, said: “In this eye-opening history of Lutheran education from its beginnings through the 19th century, Thomas Korcok shows how educational issues have always been at the heart of Lutheranism. In doing so, he also identifies a distinctly Lutheran approach to education. . . . Dr. Korcok’s book comes at the perfect time. Today the whole country is embroiled in educational controversies. Many Lutheran churches are struggling to understand the ministry of their schools. This book shows that Lutherans have a rich educational heritage, one that lives today and that holds great promise for the future.”